Washington, NJ - Then & Now

DL&W

Washington, New Jersey started as a stop along the Warren Railroad, which ran from Hampton to the
Delaware Water Gap. The Morris and Essex railroad was later constructed from Hoboken to Phillipsburg.
When it reached Washington, it bridged over the Warren Railroad. The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western
acquired both railroads, removed the bridge, and reworked the interlocking. The line from Hampton up
to Washington was abandoned in the late 1950s. The line from Washington north to the Gap was torn out
during the Conrail era. Railroad activity was always significant through the Lackawanna years, but
it saw a considerable drop when the Cutoff was finished in 1911.

Photo from The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwest New Jersey by Larry Lowenthal and William T. Greenberg Jr., Tri State Railway Historical Society, 1987.

Approximately the same view in July 2003. The track in the foreground is the start of the Washington Secondary which goes down to
Phillipsburg. The curved tracks used to go up through Oxford to the Delaware Water Gap. You can just spot three GSMRRC members
at the site of the old Freight House!

This station structure opened on November 2, 1901. Up until that point, the Morris and Essex used to
bridge over the old Warren Railroad off of the fill visible to the left. That explains the curvature
of the track. The newer track swerves just past the station to regain the original M&E alignment.
The old brick station was torn down in October 1982 due to years of neglect.

Photo part of George Arents Research Library, Syracuse University from The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwest New Jersey by Larry Lowenthal and William T. Greenberg Jr., Tri State Railway Historical Society, 1987.

The old house in the center of the photo still marks the spot in July 2003.

This tower governed the east end of the Washington interlocking. Note the DL&W concrete fence posts, the lower-quadrant semaphores, and the rods coming from the tower.

Photo by Dick Loane from The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwest New Jersey by Larry Lowenthal and William T. Greenberg Jr., Tri State Railway Historical Society, 1987.

The Tower is gone and the trees have grown a bit as you can see in July 2003. The concrete pad for the water column is still visible.

The Easton & Washington Traction Company began service on September 14, 1906. This 1907 photo shows the new culvert and tower
constructed by the DL&W. The tower was moved to Henryville, Pennsylvania in 1911 once the Cutoff was built.

Photo part of New Jersey Historical Society Collection from The Lackawanna Railroad in Northwest New Jersey by Larry Lowenthal and William T. Greenberg Jr., Tri State Railway Historical Society, 1987.

In July 2003, this is still a busy street. The red light at Route 31 held the traffic to allow for this shot. Behind the trees,
there is active rail atop this structure.